It’s not easy doing recon rides at the moment in Europe. It’s -11°C in Gavarnie and -10°C in Cari right now so those days of the Tour and Giro can wait until spring or even better, summer. But Stage 11 of the Giro was completed last weekend.
The route takes an predictable course along the coast before turning inland for a late climb to spice things up. Finding the exact route for this took a moment and if the climb is tricky, more so the descent.
Happy New Year. Here’s the pro cycling calendar for 2026, free to download for your diary or phone.
It’s packed with all the men’s and women’s pro road races. So whether you’re scouting for some points-rich 1.Pro race or want to plan some sofa time here are all the races in a user-friendly format.
1. Dressed in red, white and green these riders are ready to deliver. Why the outfit?
The Uno-X team is has Uno-X branded service stations but also operates 7-Eleven stores in Norway and Denmark. Teams can have one special jersey per year and at Liège-Bastogne-Liège they went for this retro version both evoking the 1980s 7-Eleven team and their current business. It was a clever tie-up as back then Dag Otto Lauritzen won Norway’s first ever Tour de France stage riding for 7-Eleven, and they’d win one again in the summer too.
As ever choosing five highlights means leaving all the races out. The final pick is Stage 21 of the Tour de France, Montmartre course pips Paris-Roubaix in an end-of-year photofinish, with the hipster choice of the Tour of the Alps a bike length behind and there’s a short list of other races.
Michele Dancelli has died at the age of 83. Famous for his solo triumph in Milan-Sanremo, he could climb, sprint and enjoyed many a breakaway too. This brought him wins from the classics to grand tour stages, and all during an era crowded with champions.
It’s winter in Europe but from now on the sun sets later each day. If you want another cue that spring is getting closer then the 2026 Paris-Nice route is out today.
No surprises for the start outside Paris and the finish in Nice. But like a sandwich it’s the filling that counts. This looks promising with some novelties including a revised final stage.
It’ll run between Sunday 8 March and Sunday 15 March. Here’s a closer look at the eight days…
The fourth pick isn’t a moment or a day but a whole week. Paris-Nice had a lively final stage which has been a regular pick in years past by itself. This time it’s the way all the stages threaded together that is highlighted.
The third pick of the year is a place and a day where many stories came together. Stage 11 of the Tour de France was a breathless watch and for that alone it was a thrill and memorable.
In a race where the big names and teams often dominate, it also gave an underdog story with collarbone calcification and depicted the World Tour promotion-relegation battle too.
